Air filters used with internal combustion engines desirably remove particles from intake air desirably with minimal reduction in air flow and minimal increase in restriction in order to result in increased horse power, torque, and engine efficiency. Engines used in automobile racing have somewhat unique requirements because the engines run at very high rpms for relatively short periods of time under somewhat unique environmental conditions. Since the engines consume relatively large amounts of intake air, it is still necessary to filter the air to maintain engine performance over the course of a race. Among the concerns of racing teams are high restriction caused by intake air filters; heat which may adversely effect the performance and efficiency of air filters, and weight because, in racing automobiles, controlling weight is an important consideration. While the weight of an air filter might appear to be a relatively insignificant concern, reduction in the weight of an air filter combined with reductions in weight of other engine and chassis components result in composite weight reduction which can be of considerable significance in configuring racing cars.
Current filters used in racing car engines are made mostly with natural cellulose fibers that are pleated either with or without wire screen support. The materials comprising these filters create higher restriction when combined together which decreases engine performance both initially and over the course of a race. Moreover, the current filters are relatively heavy, no attention having been paid to the desirability of decreasing the weight of any component wherever possible.